Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Fact and Fiction

Have you heard all the malarky about Oprah and Frey the writer? No, I'm not hinting they are an item, I'm referring to A Million Little Pieces which was first pedaled as a novel, then finally published as a memoir. All of that can be sent down the chute by really believing, as I do, that "All writing is fantasy." That quote is from my all-time favorite non-fiction book The Haunting of Sylvia Plath by Jacqueline Rose. My copy has been read, by me, so many times it is held together with tape. I'd take the time to type, one finger at a time, hunting, my other five fav. quotes from that book but I've done that so many times with so little appreciation or feedback I'll play take-away and cuddle with the truth all by myself. So there.


Barry


 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have heard of the malarky around that book. I totally agree with that quote from Jacqueline Rose's book. In a way, I'm not sure I would have read his book, A Million Little Pieces, before but now I think I have a touch of curiousity about it so I might look for it some day soon.

have a good day.....

betty

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for your Comment! I'm
especially pleased because the premise of
the quote is so extravagant. You and I, if
I may be so bold, have been able to make
the leap to an exciting truth. Another quote
I dote on is, "Language is anti-phobic."

Barry

Anonymous said...

Another quote
I dote on is, "Language is anti-phobic."

Barry

I heard of the phrase that all -writing is fantasy- but I have not heard that language is anti-phobic. Could you elucidate more on that. TIA.

BEA

Anonymous said...

  I agree ... all writing IS fantasy.  How can it not be?  Language, even in the best of hands,  is limiting.  We can only come close to describing what is real.  And most of the time, when we try, we are describing 'real' as we wish it to be ... or think we remember it to be, which can be quite differnet from what it was.  I'm with Oprah ... " Much ado about nothing."  Tina http://journals.aol.com/onemoretina/Ridealongwithme

Anonymous said...

Your perceptive Comment nudged
me toward once more taking into account
the narrative voice in any piece of
writing. The 'voice' can help smooth
the way. One of the best 'voices' in all
of Literature is Charles Dickens. He was
literally in love with his readers, and the
readers fueled him, and loved him in return.
When he came to America to read his work
out loud to audiences he did so even
when he was ill. In fact, his insistence in
showing up in America for his readings may
have hastened his death. He died at age 58.
Of course that was not unusual in the 19th Century,
but it IS early.

Barry